[3][4] The one-story structure, covering 66,000 square feet (6,100 m2),[5] was faced in cream-colored brick and trimmed in buff-colored terra cotta and red sandstone.

[3][6] Inside, the travertine lobby sported a "Prussian blue rug, wood-paneled walls, pumpkin-colored plaster, and tall windows".

[8] In 1942 Bonfils gifted a different site, at 1425 Cleveland Place, to the University Civic Theatre, but due to World War II the building could not be remodeled.

[8][3] It quickly became the "social center of the city", with opening nights presided over by Bonfils and attended by society figures.

[3] Performers at the Bonfils Memorial Theatre included John Ashton, Tony Church, and Cleo Parker Robinson.

[8] Celebrities who appeared in theatrical productions included Helen Bonfils (herself an actress and theatrical producer),[7] Mary Jo Catlett, Julia Child (she gave a cooking demonstration), Kevin Kline, Patti LuPone, Ted Shackelford, David Ogden Stiers, Marilyn Van Derbur (Miss Colorado 1957 and Miss America 1958), Joan Van Ark, Emlyn Williams, and Paul Winfield.

[8] Bonfils lent her extensive collection of "fur coats, jewels, silver, furniture, and rugs" as props for many productions.

The story goes, Don Seawell, Chairman of the DCPA, attended a production of Sweeney Todd, did not like the competition, and decided to close the Bonfils.

[3] The development company undertook a $16 million preservation and renovation project to convert the theatre into a bookstore and add a record shop, art cinema, and 230-space parking garage to the adjoining lot.

[3][6] The redesign, executed by architect Josh Comfort, retained many "historical details and finishes"; for example, some original red mohair-covered seats were retained in two rear balcony areas, and the original orchestra pit, accessed via a ramp, was filled with a display of "books on the performing arts".